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the method adopted was as follows:—
(1) Tuberculin-testing of children under the age of 15 years and
x-raying those found to be positive
(2) X-raying and if possible tuberculin-testing persons between the
ages of 15 and 25 years
(3) X-raying persons above the age of 25 years
This particular ward was chosen because it is convenient for transport
to the Mass X-ray Unit at Drayton Park, Islington, and with the cooperation
of the medical director of that Unit men and women in the
Ward were asked to attend for a chest x-ray
A circular letter giving information on the survey and the times of
sessions at Drayton Park was sent to every household in the ward
As a result of this preliminary appeal only about 200 persons attended
and arrangements were made for a mass x-ray unit to visit the
Stroud Green School for four days Members of the staff of the
Borough Health Department and Area Health Office, assisted by
volunteers from Youth Organisations in the Borough, visited most of
the houses in the Ward offering appointments to attend the x-ray unit
Five hundred and sixty-six people attended for x-ray but again this
result was disappointing
In February and March a tuberculin jelly patch test survey was carried
out on school children in the Ward and 1,180 children were tested
Children with a positive result were referred to the Chest Physician
and of these 9 were found to be contacts of known cases
The results of the survey are recorded in the table The table is included
in the Annual Report so that it will be available should a similar type
of survey be carried out in the future when the pattern of tuberculosis
may have changed considerably The remarkable feature of the table
is the abrupt increase at 11 years in the percentage of patch positives
to 40% from an average of 4% for ages 4-10 years
The survey is still progressing and is expected to be completed in the
Autumn of 1955
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